After the past week, it seems more and more likely that Blu-ray will be the movie disc format of the future. But with the exception of the Playstation 3, current Blu-ray disc players were built without future-compatibility capabilities, so come this October owners won't be able to take advantage of features like Internet connectivity or enhanced interactivity (whatever that means?details are sketchy). "One key Blu-ray developer told BetaNews that although he builds discs for studios including Fox and Lionsgate, he did not buy a Blu-ray player for personal use." Regarding current Blu-ray player owners, Blu-ray developers told BetaNews, "They knew what they were getting into."
Glad to see this is getting some press. Consumers need to be aware that even if Blu-Ray is most likely the winner of this format war, it's still a half-baked format not ready for primetime.
Quote:
Representatives at the Blu-ray booth at CES told BetaNews that the PlayStation 3 is currently the only player they would recommend, due to upcoming changes to the platform. But Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony have all been selling standalone Blu-ray players to customers.
With HD DVD out of the way, is Sony now using Blu-Ray compatibility issues as a means to push PS3 sales, a reversal from using the PS3 to trojan-horse Blu-Ray in to homes? They certainly aren't helping Blu-Ray move beyond the UMD of PS3.
Killzone 2 takes up 2GBs each level. work that out for 10,12,20 levels! m'kay
RFOM comes in at a total of 22GB
Halo fits in under the 9Gb LIMIT of DVD
--
EXCLUSIVES
Released [24 Titles]
Eye of Judgement, The [PlayStation Eye]
Folklore
Formula One Championship Edition
Full Auto 2: Battlelines
Genji: Days of the Blade
Godfather: The Don's Edition, The
Heavenly Sword
Lair
MLB '07: The Show
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
MotorStorm
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
NBA '07
NBA '08
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Resistance: Fall of Man
Ridge Racer 7
Spider-Man 3: Collector's Edition
Time Crisis 4 [Including Guncon 3]
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Unreal Tournament III [+PC] [Timed Exclusive]
Virtua Fighter 5 [Timed Exclusive]
Warhawk
Not to mention PSN exclusives
Do you want me to list the 90 odd exclusives yet to be released?
So can we PLEASE drop the FUD some insist on generating.
your naming a bunch of garbage titles for the sake of naming games. all but about 6 titles on there were decent and i dont think any of them reached ratings of 90 or above. no one is saying the ps3 doesn't have games, it just doesn't have good games
and seriously stop paraphrasing things sony PR spins to you, k? this goes for everyone. if you have no knowledge of game development dont talk like you do. i'm not claiming i do, i read articles from major gaming publications to obtain true information on the matter. i dont go rephrasing sony dribble
Um, the part where the format will be updated twice ? once for picture-in-picture and again for internet-enabled features ? leaving all dedicated blu-ray player purchasers up 1st-gen creek without an ethernet port. Last year's dedicated players can't use picture in picture, and half of this year's players won't be able to use internet capabilities. You can't even buy a dedicated Blu-Ray player right now that won't be obsolete by the middle of the year.
One more time: BD Live is optional!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't expect to see every player with BD Live capabilities.
1.1 players obsolete?
Furthermore: which parts of the specs aren't finished.
No changes will be made to the BD Live specs - they were finalized at the same time as the Bonus View specs.
Glad to see this is getting some press. Consumers need to be aware that even if Blu-Ray is most likely the winner of this format war, it's still a half-baked format not ready for primetime.
BetaNews? The site that last week wrote that 1.0 players couldn't play 1.1 and 2.0 movies?
Don't expect to see every player with BD Live capabilities.
Do you know what happens to optional features? They don't get support from the content creators because nobody can use them. Either BD Live has to become standard on all players, or Blu-Ray will never match HD DVD in terms of features.
Quote:
Originally Posted by JLL
Furthermore: which parts of the specs aren't finished.
No changes will be made to the BD Live specs - they were finalized at the same time as the Bonus View specs.
What the hell good does finished specs do when for 20 months now consumers haven't been able to purchase a standalone player that follows them? If they've been finalized for so long, why won't we be getting a standalone Blu-Ray player that compares to a $170 HD DVD player until summer '08?
Now with Toshiba able to sell players at $150 it's proof positive that the cheaper and more sensible solution (from a consumer standpoint) isn't going to survive because of politics.
The key here is "able to" should be changed to "trying to" sell. Even sold as an up-coverting DVD player at $150 most consumers will find it more expensive than its DVD completion.
I don't see why there's all this harping about BD being unfinished. It plays movies just fine. It seems to me only a few movie "geeks" are the only ones interested in all the bells-and-whistle features.
I was in BB in Everett the other day and talking to one of the workers. His new HD player was still within the return period and he was going to bring it and get a refund.
Our local Fred Meyer store started carrying a limited selection of HDM in about equal proportion. It didn't take long for the BD section to become 2x, then 6x and then the HD section was gone.
These are two isolated instances but I think the handwriting is on the wall; consumers don't want competing standards nor do merchants. If indeed, as it has been widely rumored, Universal and then Paramount start producing BD media, then it truly be over. It can't come to soon!
I've heard plenty about how great the xbox 360 is at what it does. Hardware reliability aside it's a decent system. I think the PS3 will come into its own in time. The games now are much better than they were at release and there are great ones on the horizon.
I've heard plenty about how great the xbox 360 is at what it does. Hardware reliability aside it's a decent system. I think the PS3 will come into its own in time. The games now are much better than they were at release and there are great ones on the horizon.
The PS3 games that are out now are sweet! Warhawk alone is such a blast it's addictive and totally sick. Most of those titles the user above listed are all great titles, not mediocre. The PS3 has already come onto it's own AFAIAC. I never listen to people without trying something out myself. When I bought my system I was skeptical of which one to get because I had played both, but not enough to make an informed decision. So I asked all my friends that had both systems; a total of 9 people, I got one answer from all 9. Get the PS3, that said it all for me and now I know why. I don't have to wonder and I have no doubts. The PS3 is a great system and this year appears to be the best one coming. I love the types of titles coming and I love the titles I already have. All the exclusive titles I have are fantastic! I'm happy with that.
With the format war now coming to an end (for all intents and purposes), there's a whole new batch of discussions starting up. Some of these are reasonable, and some of it is just the last cries of the fans of a dying format. I'll try to wade briefly through the facts on the ground, and make a couple of proposals to (maybe) begin the healing process.
First things first: the war is over! There is no mysterious super-secret plan in place to save HD DVD at this point. Microsoft has given up. Bill Gates has now made the claim that Microsoft is format neutral. Warner's deal is signed, sealed, and released to the public. Petitions and email campaigns won't change anything.
The last dominoes to fall (Paramount and Universal) will be falling soon. Major news outlets and Hollywood insider's are reporting that Paramount's contract with Toshiba called for the HD DVD camp to receive the exclusive support of Warner Brother by the end of Q1, 2008, as well as the backing of another Tier 1 consumer electronics manufacturer. Since both of these events failed to occur, an escape clause was triggered, giving the studio the option of getting out of their contract.
Universal, long HD DVDs biggest supporter, reportedly isn't bound by any such contract any longer. Both studios are in negotiations with various companies within the Blu-ray camp trying to exert "deals" to make their defection from the HD DVD-camp more palatable. Given that neither studio wants to be left out in the cold, however, they both may be forced into a position of releasing Blu-ray discs anyway. But it never hurts to beg, I suppose. Both defections could become official at any time now, though Universal seems to be holding out a bit more, and may hold off on an announcement for a few weeks yet.
Corporate executives from Best Buy and Circuit City have gone on the record with reporters in the last few days, expressing their desire to see Universal and Paramount make this move as soon as possible, in order to bring this nonsense to a rapid conclusion. Best Buy, at least, intends to start phasing out HD DVD discs as soon as all the major studios are releasing titles on the Blu-ray format.
So, where does that leave HD DVD owners, who bought into the format on the advice of salespeople, online forums, etc? Well, it's important to realize that your players will continue playing your existing collection of HD DVDs for the foreseeable future. If you only have a few titles, then it may be best to get the collection up on Ebay sooner rather than later. If you're still within the store's return window, then packing that player back up and making the store eat the loss probably will take a lot of the sting out of it.
There are also discussions taking place as to whether or not to make a kind of "peace offering" to HD DVD owners... in the form of disc trades or player rebates. For those with a more substantial HD DVD collection, it may be worth looking into this, if a proposal is finally agreed upon. I wouldn't hold out significant hope on the BDA coming to the rescue of HD DVD owners, however. In the end, though, I would imagine at least Toshiba will continue producing "combo" players for some time to come, so it's not as if your existing discs will stop playing.
Also, there is a lot of misplaced anger at Warner and the BDA at the moment. Threats of lawsuits or skipping high-definition altogether in favor of digital downloads have been making the rounds on internet forums ever since Warner's decision was released.
Now, I understand feelings of loss and abandonment... however, Warner let it be known in the fall that they would be looking at 4th quarter sales, and making a decision as to which format to exclusively support once that data was in. While the typical consumer may have been shocked by the news, those complaining on online forums should have known this day was coming for some time now. Some of them attempted to "read the tea leaves" and came to the conclusion that Warner would go HD DVD exclusive... but the sales numbers have never supported that logic. In the end, they wanted a single format, and unless at least one other major Blu-ray studio went over to the HD DVD side, going that way really wasn't an option, as it would have done nothing to bring the war to a close.
Truthfully, if fans really want to place the blame on someone, it should be on Toshiba and Microsoft, who kept this "war" going on far longer than it should have. Toshiba's "fire sale" pricing on players also brought a lot of people into the HD DVD camp who weren't typical early-adopters -- people who likely had no idea of what was going on behind the scenes, and that the HD DVD format may not be supported for that much longer. Microsoft, for their part, touted HD DVD only as long as they felt it necessary to keep the rival format from reaching mass adoption before they could get a digital download system in place. Before the Warner decision was even made public, their "insiders" had moved on to talking up digital downloads as the future. In their eyes, all high-definition media was dead... and it doesn't bother them in the least.
But I don't kid myself. The most rabid HD DVD fans are fans of the format either because they love Microsoft... or because they hate Sony. And, if you're in that mindset, nothing I, or anyone else says, is likely to sway your opinion. I don't intend on being a Sony apologist... they're a company out to make money, like any other. But if you think it was Sony that screwed "the consumer" with this war, then I have a bridge in Redmond, WA to sell you...
As for digital downloads, if you absolutely HATE Sony and Blu-ray, be my guest. Take a pass on Blu-ray and wait on digital downloads... with NO extras, subpar picture and sound, and everything else that goes with it. True film fans certainly won't do this, and are mostly relieved to have this stupid format war over with. But if your allegiance is to a corporation -- one that you really feel has YOUR best interests at heart -- then skip Blu-ray and download movies to your XBox 360. I'm sure Microsoft won't mind.
I don't see why there's all this harping about BD being unfinished. It plays movies just fine. It seems to me only a few movie "geeks" are the only ones interested in all the bells-and-whistle features.
Amen. I for one am annoyed by in-movie menus that are slow to come up and slow to navigate. Thanks for compromising long term usability for the sake of a short-lived novelty factor.
Hopefully they work much better on higher-end players, but the point is I bought movies in spite of some of these bells-and-whistles and certainly not because of them.
In the end it doesn't matter if they intend on updating the Blu Ray players with more features, or not. Blu Ray won. The war is over. I for one wont complain about the possibility of having more features available if I wanted to use them. Chances are I wont, but sure, knowing they are there is fine by me. I never really watch extra content unless it's an alternate ending or something, and that I can do already.
Do you know what happens to optional features? They don't get support from the content creators because nobody can use them. Either BD Live has to become standard on all players, or Blu-Ray will never match HD DVD in terms of features.
Depends on the features.
Room for lossless sound is an important feature to me. Trailers and ringtones aren't.
And even though HD DVD players have internet capability does not mean that they are connected to the internet and we don't know how much that feature is used.
I happen to have a 1.1 player but I would be just as happy with a 1.0 player.
I don't see why there's all this harping about BD being unfinished. It plays movies just fine. It seems to me only a few movie "geeks" are the only ones interested in all the bells-and-whistle features.
Have you tried any of the BD+ titles and profile 1.1 movies?... I heard some standalone players were having trouble with extra long load time over a minute and some machines locking up at times.
BTW, ,many AV enthusiasts are considered "geeks", and the HDM market still remians to be in the enthusiast/niche status. Perhaps, that is the reason for people wanting all the bells-and-whistle features. Of course, there are also the gaming "geeks" group supporting the HDM as well.
The PS3 games that are out now are sweet! Warhawk alone is such a blast it's addictive and totally sick. Most of those titles the user above listed are all great titles, not mediocre. The PS3 has already come onto it's own AFAIAC. I never listen to people without trying something out myself. When I bought my system I was skeptical of which one to get because I had played both, but not enough to make an informed decision. So I asked all my friends that had both systems; a total of 9 people, I got one answer from all 9. Get the PS3, that said it all for me and now I know why. I don't have to wonder and I have no doubts. The PS3 is a great system and this year appears to be the best one coming. I love the types of titles coming and I love the titles I already have. All the exclusive titles I have are fantastic! I'm happy with that.
i'm not trying to sound like a fanboy, i'm glad you enjoy your system and i'm sure the ps3 in a few years will be a decent purchase.
yet, i cant help but consider a majority of those glamouring over the system since release are those types that overlook everything Sony promises and then doesn't deliver. they have been increasingly proficient at it.
again, the initial argument was which system was the better gaming machine at this point and time. arguing that the ps3 even comes close to the 360 is pointless. there is both widespread industry opinion and statistical evidence to back it up.
i'm not trying to sound like a fanboy, i'm glad you enjoy your system and i'm sure the ps3 in a few years will be a decent purchase.
yet, i cant help but consider a majority of those glamouring over the system since release are those types that overlook everything Sony promises and then doesn't deliver. they have been increasingly proficient at it.
again, the initial argument was which system was the better gaming machine at this point and time. arguing that the ps3 even comes close to the 360 is pointless. there is both widespread industry opinion and statistical evidence to back it up.
/end discussion.
back on topic.
It's not just a gaming console, you need to understand that. Is that all you see it as? It just got through its first year. The 360s first year blew. The 360 is strictly a gaming console. It's a good one. The 360 does so much more for me.
I've done countless slideshows/powerpoint stuff on my PS3 for work. Everyone is impressed by it. I have tv series' and movies on it, that I can access from anywhere in the world, provided I have a wifi connection available, from my PSP. I've used it at a wedding for a photo display. Sure Sony has promised things. I'd rather Sony delay something to perfect it than to release it early. Look at the 360. 33% Failure rate? Come on. MGS4 WILL come. Home WILL come. Everything IS coming. Sure it's not here now, but there is plenty of stuff already to keep me happy. It's worth the wait. I know quite a few families with a PS3. They don't read Sony news. Every single family raves about it. Not fanboy-esque, but it seems to get brought up in conversations, and they talk about how much they love it.
I can't say the same for the 360. It's a good gaming console but FOR ME, it has NOTHING on the PS3.
It's never the end of discussion. Not for you. You didn't have to comment, but you just keep it going. Just stop talking about it. Don't mention consoles. You aren't proving anything. You want it to be the end of discussion. Then don't try and make up a comeback. If you stop talking about it, RIGHT now, and don't start again, I swear I'll never mention the PS3 again in this thread.
Comments
After the past week, it seems more and more likely that Blu-ray will be the movie disc format of the future. But with the exception of the Playstation 3, current Blu-ray disc players were built without future-compatibility capabilities, so come this October owners won't be able to take advantage of features like Internet connectivity or enhanced interactivity (whatever that means?details are sketchy). "One key Blu-ray developer told BetaNews that although he builds discs for studios including Fox and Lionsgate, he did not buy a Blu-ray player for personal use." Regarding current Blu-ray player owners, Blu-ray developers told BetaNews, "They knew what they were getting into."
Glad to see this is getting some press. Consumers need to be aware that even if Blu-Ray is most likely the winner of this format war, it's still a half-baked format not ready for primetime.
Representatives at the Blu-ray booth at CES told BetaNews that the PlayStation 3 is currently the only player they would recommend, due to upcoming changes to the platform. But Pioneer, Samsung, Panasonic and Sony have all been selling standalone Blu-ray players to customers.
With HD DVD out of the way, is Sony now using Blu-Ray compatibility issues as a means to push PS3 sales, a reversal from using the PS3 to trojan-horse Blu-Ray in to homes? They certainly aren't helping Blu-Ray move beyond the UMD of PS3.
RE: Space for games.
Killzone 2 takes up 2GBs each level. work that out for 10,12,20 levels! m'kay
RFOM comes in at a total of 22GB
Halo fits in under the 9Gb LIMIT of DVD
--
EXCLUSIVES
Released [24 Titles]
Eye of Judgement, The [PlayStation Eye]
Folklore
Formula One Championship Edition
Full Auto 2: Battlelines
Genji: Days of the Blade
Godfather: The Don's Edition, The
Heavenly Sword
Lair
MLB '07: The Show
Mobile Suit Gundam: Crossfire
MotorStorm
Ninja Gaiden Sigma
NBA '07
NBA '08
Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction
Resistance: Fall of Man
Ridge Racer 7
Spider-Man 3: Collector's Edition
Time Crisis 4 [Including Guncon 3]
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune
Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom
Unreal Tournament III [+PC] [Timed Exclusive]
Virtua Fighter 5 [Timed Exclusive]
Warhawk
Not to mention PSN exclusives
Do you want me to list the 90 odd exclusives yet to be released?
So can we PLEASE drop the FUD some insist on generating.
your naming a bunch of garbage titles for the sake of naming games. all but about 6 titles on there were decent and i dont think any of them reached ratings of 90 or above. no one is saying the ps3 doesn't have games, it just doesn't have good games
and seriously stop paraphrasing things sony PR spins to you, k? this goes for everyone. if you have no knowledge of game development dont talk like you do. i'm not claiming i do, i read articles from major gaming publications to obtain true information on the matter. i dont go rephrasing sony dribble
Um, the part where the format will be updated twice ? once for picture-in-picture and again for internet-enabled features ? leaving all dedicated blu-ray player purchasers up 1st-gen creek without an ethernet port. Last year's dedicated players can't use picture in picture, and half of this year's players won't be able to use internet capabilities. You can't even buy a dedicated Blu-Ray player right now that won't be obsolete by the middle of the year.
One more time: BD Live is optional!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't expect to see every player with BD Live capabilities.
1.1 players obsolete?
Furthermore: which parts of the specs aren't finished.
No changes will be made to the BD Live specs - they were finalized at the same time as the Bonus View specs.
Heh...same thing is true for HD-DVD now...
Glad to see this is getting some press. Consumers need to be aware that even if Blu-Ray is most likely the winner of this format war, it's still a half-baked format not ready for primetime.
BetaNews? The site that last week wrote that 1.0 players couldn't play 1.1 and 2.0 movies?
One more time: BD Live is optional!!!!!!!!!!!!
Don't expect to see every player with BD Live capabilities.
Do you know what happens to optional features? They don't get support from the content creators because nobody can use them. Either BD Live has to become standard on all players, or Blu-Ray will never match HD DVD in terms of features.
Furthermore: which parts of the specs aren't finished.
No changes will be made to the BD Live specs - they were finalized at the same time as the Bonus View specs.
What the hell good does finished specs do when for 20 months now consumers haven't been able to purchase a standalone player that follows them?
...
Now with Toshiba able to sell players at $150 it's proof positive that the cheaper and more sensible solution (from a consumer standpoint) isn't going to survive because of politics.
The key here is "able to" should be changed to "trying to" sell. Even sold as an up-coverting DVD player at $150 most consumers will find it more expensive than its DVD completion.
I don't see why there's all this harping about BD being unfinished. It plays movies just fine. It seems to me only a few movie "geeks" are the only ones interested in all the bells-and-whistle features.
I was in BB in Everett the other day and talking to one of the workers. His new HD player was still within the return period and he was going to bring it and get a refund.
Our local Fred Meyer store started carrying a limited selection of HDM in about equal proportion. It didn't take long for the BD section to become 2x, then 6x and then the HD section was gone.
These are two isolated instances but I think the handwriting is on the wall; consumers don't want competing standards nor do merchants. If indeed, as it has been widely rumored, Universal and then Paramount start producing BD media, then it truly be over. It can't come to soon!
http://www.i4u.com/article14003.html
HD-DVD. Screwed.
Is Uncharted worth getting? I read it was a bit tomb raider-ish, and I never could get into tomb raider.
whats its replay value once the story is completed?
and is there an online element?
buy or rent?
sorry for all the questions
Buy. Well.. in my opinion. At least rent it. It doesn't matter how much I've beaten it, I still go back.
That list had more than a few great games.
It's sad that you don't realize how amazing the PS3 is.
It's like trying to argue about religion.
It's like trying to argue about religion.
Which only reinforces how pointless it is...
I've heard plenty about how great the xbox 360 is at what it does. Hardware reliability aside it's a decent system. I think the PS3 will come into its own in time. The games now are much better than they were at release and there are great ones on the horizon.
Which only reinforces how pointless it is...
I've heard plenty about how great the xbox 360 is at what it does. Hardware reliability aside it's a decent system. I think the PS3 will come into its own in time. The games now are much better than they were at release and there are great ones on the horizon.
The PS3 games that are out now are sweet! Warhawk alone is such a blast it's addictive and totally sick. Most of those titles the user above listed are all great titles, not mediocre. The PS3 has already come onto it's own AFAIAC. I never listen to people without trying something out myself. When I bought my system I was skeptical of which one to get because I had played both, but not enough to make an informed decision. So I asked all my friends that had both systems; a total of 9 people, I got one answer from all 9. Get the PS3, that said it all for me and now I know why. I don't have to wonder and I have no doubts. The PS3 is a great system and this year appears to be the best one coming. I love the types of titles coming and I love the titles I already have. All the exclusive titles I have are fantastic! I'm happy with that.
Wrapping the 'war' up...
With the format war now coming to an end (for all intents and purposes), there's a whole new batch of discussions starting up. Some of these are reasonable, and some of it is just the last cries of the fans of a dying format. I'll try to wade briefly through the facts on the ground, and make a couple of proposals to (maybe) begin the healing process.
First things first: the war is over! There is no mysterious super-secret plan in place to save HD DVD at this point. Microsoft has given up. Bill Gates has now made the claim that Microsoft is format neutral. Warner's deal is signed, sealed, and released to the public. Petitions and email campaigns won't change anything.
The last dominoes to fall (Paramount and Universal) will be falling soon. Major news outlets and Hollywood insider's are reporting that Paramount's contract with Toshiba called for the HD DVD camp to receive the exclusive support of Warner Brother by the end of Q1, 2008, as well as the backing of another Tier 1 consumer electronics manufacturer. Since both of these events failed to occur, an escape clause was triggered, giving the studio the option of getting out of their contract.
Universal, long HD DVDs biggest supporter, reportedly isn't bound by any such contract any longer. Both studios are in negotiations with various companies within the Blu-ray camp trying to exert "deals" to make their defection from the HD DVD-camp more palatable. Given that neither studio wants to be left out in the cold, however, they both may be forced into a position of releasing Blu-ray discs anyway. But it never hurts to beg, I suppose. Both defections could become official at any time now, though Universal seems to be holding out a bit more, and may hold off on an announcement for a few weeks yet.
Corporate executives from Best Buy and Circuit City have gone on the record with reporters in the last few days, expressing their desire to see Universal and Paramount make this move as soon as possible, in order to bring this nonsense to a rapid conclusion. Best Buy, at least, intends to start phasing out HD DVD discs as soon as all the major studios are releasing titles on the Blu-ray format.
So, where does that leave HD DVD owners, who bought into the format on the advice of salespeople, online forums, etc? Well, it's important to realize that your players will continue playing your existing collection of HD DVDs for the foreseeable future. If you only have a few titles, then it may be best to get the collection up on Ebay sooner rather than later. If you're still within the store's return window, then packing that player back up and making the store eat the loss probably will take a lot of the sting out of it.
There are also discussions taking place as to whether or not to make a kind of "peace offering" to HD DVD owners... in the form of disc trades or player rebates. For those with a more substantial HD DVD collection, it may be worth looking into this, if a proposal is finally agreed upon. I wouldn't hold out significant hope on the BDA coming to the rescue of HD DVD owners, however. In the end, though, I would imagine at least Toshiba will continue producing "combo" players for some time to come, so it's not as if your existing discs will stop playing.
Also, there is a lot of misplaced anger at Warner and the BDA at the moment. Threats of lawsuits or skipping high-definition altogether in favor of digital downloads have been making the rounds on internet forums ever since Warner's decision was released.
Now, I understand feelings of loss and abandonment... however, Warner let it be known in the fall that they would be looking at 4th quarter sales, and making a decision as to which format to exclusively support once that data was in. While the typical consumer may have been shocked by the news, those complaining on online forums should have known this day was coming for some time now. Some of them attempted to "read the tea leaves" and came to the conclusion that Warner would go HD DVD exclusive... but the sales numbers have never supported that logic. In the end, they wanted a single format, and unless at least one other major Blu-ray studio went over to the HD DVD side, going that way really wasn't an option, as it would have done nothing to bring the war to a close.
Truthfully, if fans really want to place the blame on someone, it should be on Toshiba and Microsoft, who kept this "war" going on far longer than it should have. Toshiba's "fire sale" pricing on players also brought a lot of people into the HD DVD camp who weren't typical early-adopters -- people who likely had no idea of what was going on behind the scenes, and that the HD DVD format may not be supported for that much longer. Microsoft, for their part, touted HD DVD only as long as they felt it necessary to keep the rival format from reaching mass adoption before they could get a digital download system in place. Before the Warner decision was even made public, their "insiders" had moved on to talking up digital downloads as the future. In their eyes, all high-definition media was dead... and it doesn't bother them in the least.
But I don't kid myself. The most rabid HD DVD fans are fans of the format either because they love Microsoft... or because they hate Sony. And, if you're in that mindset, nothing I, or anyone else says, is likely to sway your opinion. I don't intend on being a Sony apologist... they're a company out to make money, like any other. But if you think it was Sony that screwed "the consumer" with this war, then I have a bridge in Redmond, WA to sell you...
As for digital downloads, if you absolutely HATE Sony and Blu-ray, be my guest. Take a pass on Blu-ray and wait on digital downloads... with NO extras, subpar picture and sound, and everything else that goes with it. True film fans certainly won't do this, and are mostly relieved to have this stupid format war over with. But if your allegiance is to a corporation -- one that you really feel has YOUR best interests at heart -- then skip Blu-ray and download movies to your XBox 360. I'm sure Microsoft won't mind.
I don't see why there's all this harping about BD being unfinished. It plays movies just fine. It seems to me only a few movie "geeks" are the only ones interested in all the bells-and-whistle features.
Amen. I for one am annoyed by in-movie menus that are slow to come up and slow to navigate. Thanks for compromising long term usability for the sake of a short-lived novelty factor.
Hopefully they work much better on higher-end players, but the point is I bought movies in spite of some of these bells-and-whistles and certainly not because of them.
Do you know what happens to optional features? They don't get support from the content creators because nobody can use them. Either BD Live has to become standard on all players, or Blu-Ray will never match HD DVD in terms of features.
Depends on the features.
Room for lossless sound is an important feature to me. Trailers and ringtones aren't.
And even though HD DVD players have internet capability does not mean that they are connected to the internet and we don't know how much that feature is used.
I happen to have a 1.1 player but I would be just as happy with a 1.0 player.
I don't see why there's all this harping about BD being unfinished. It plays movies just fine. It seems to me only a few movie "geeks" are the only ones interested in all the bells-and-whistle features.
Have you tried any of the BD+ titles and profile 1.1 movies?... I heard some standalone players were having trouble with extra long load time over a minute and some machines locking up at times.
BTW, ,many AV enthusiasts are considered "geeks", and the HDM market still remians to be in the enthusiast/niche status. Perhaps, that is the reason for people wanting all the bells-and-whistle features. Of course, there are also the gaming "geeks" group supporting the HDM as well.
The PS3 games that are out now are sweet! Warhawk alone is such a blast it's addictive and totally sick. Most of those titles the user above listed are all great titles, not mediocre. The PS3 has already come onto it's own AFAIAC. I never listen to people without trying something out myself. When I bought my system I was skeptical of which one to get because I had played both, but not enough to make an informed decision. So I asked all my friends that had both systems; a total of 9 people, I got one answer from all 9. Get the PS3, that said it all for me and now I know why. I don't have to wonder and I have no doubts. The PS3 is a great system and this year appears to be the best one coming. I love the types of titles coming and I love the titles I already have. All the exclusive titles I have are fantastic! I'm happy with that.
i'm not trying to sound like a fanboy, i'm glad you enjoy your system and i'm sure the ps3 in a few years will be a decent purchase.
yet, i cant help but consider a majority of those glamouring over the system since release are those types that overlook everything Sony promises and then doesn't deliver. they have been increasingly proficient at it.
again, the initial argument was which system was the better gaming machine at this point and time. arguing that the ps3 even comes close to the 360 is pointless. there is both widespread industry opinion and statistical evidence to back it up.
/end discussion.
back on topic.
/end discussion.
i'm not trying to sound like a fanboy, i'm glad you enjoy your system and i'm sure the ps3 in a few years will be a decent purchase.
yet, i cant help but consider a majority of those glamouring over the system since release are those types that overlook everything Sony promises and then doesn't deliver. they have been increasingly proficient at it.
again, the initial argument was which system was the better gaming machine at this point and time. arguing that the ps3 even comes close to the 360 is pointless. there is both widespread industry opinion and statistical evidence to back it up.
/end discussion.
back on topic.
It's not just a gaming console, you need to understand that. Is that all you see it as? It just got through its first year. The 360s first year blew. The 360 is strictly a gaming console. It's a good one. The 360 does so much more for me.
I've done countless slideshows/powerpoint stuff on my PS3 for work. Everyone is impressed by it. I have tv series' and movies on it, that I can access from anywhere in the world, provided I have a wifi connection available, from my PSP. I've used it at a wedding for a photo display. Sure Sony has promised things. I'd rather Sony delay something to perfect it than to release it early. Look at the 360. 33% Failure rate? Come on. MGS4 WILL come. Home WILL come. Everything IS coming. Sure it's not here now, but there is plenty of stuff already to keep me happy. It's worth the wait. I know quite a few families with a PS3. They don't read Sony news. Every single family raves about it. Not fanboy-esque, but it seems to get brought up in conversations, and they talk about how much they love it.
I can't say the same for the 360. It's a good gaming console but FOR ME, it has NOTHING on the PS3.
It's never the end of discussion. Not for you. You didn't have to comment, but you just keep it going. Just stop talking about it. Don't mention consoles. You aren't proving anything. You want it to be the end of discussion. Then don't try and make up a comeback. If you stop talking about it, RIGHT now, and don't start again, I swear I'll never mention the PS3 again in this thread.